The 9/11 Promise Run bunked at the Trenton Fire Department Saturday night and ate breakfast Sunday with Lawrence firefighters.
TRENTON -- Eight distance runners who ran a relay from the Pentagon to the World Trade Center in three days stayed in Mercer County Saturday to Sunday on their 245-mile journey to honor 9/11 victims.
The relay, called the 9/11 Promise Run, is comprised mainly of residents of the northern Virginia side of the Washington, D.C. area.
They bunked at the Trenton Fire Department Saturday night - and enjoyed a home-cooked meal at fire headquarters.
They also visited the Trenton Fire Museum, and slid down the fire pole, the organization said on their Facebook page.
Early Sunday, the team ran ran to Lawrence, where career firefighters - assisted by volunteers - cooked the team breakfast.
Lawrence firefighters with the 9/11 Promise Run participants early Sunday morning, Sept. 11, 2016. (Photo courtesy of Lawrence Township Career Firefighters)The runners then stopped at several other firehouses in New Jersey Sunday for water breaks, coordinated by the Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA), a statewide firefighters union.
The annual run was started by Jennifer DePoto, an independent government contractor from Reston, Va.
It raises money for two New York-based charities, Tuesday's Children, a non-profit serving the 9/11 community, and the FealGood Foundation.
The relay run left the Pentagon at 5 a.m. Friday and aimed to maintain a 10-minute mile pace.
"This is the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States - an event that changed everything we know about our daily lives," DePoto said in a statement.
"This run is not about who's the fastest or who gets there first. It's about pulling together like we did 15 years ago as a country," she said. "It's about honoring the lives that were lost on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, honoring the people who showed relentless courage and bravery that day, and honoring the people who fight every day for our country's freedom."
Joining DePoto on the run were Jeremy Boyd of Holly Springs, NC; Paul Arnett of Fairfax, Va.; Darryl Summers of Manassas, Va.; Summer Vanni of Leesburg, Va.; Christopher Mackey of Leesburg, Va.; Edwin Hernandez of Leesburg, Va. and Adrian Flores of Leesburg, Va.
To see other stops the runners made, see their Facebook page here.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.